1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information processing method and an information processing system capable of tracing distribution information of an information distribution route, distribution range, distribution amount, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
We are about to open an age of digitalizing all information and distributing it through networks with the recent digital information technology development, information highway initiative, etc. Distribution of various pieces of information such as images, moving pictures, voice, and programs as well as text information has already begun through network media such as internets and personal computer communication. As such an age comes, all users will be both information originators (issuers) and receivers although information originators or issuers and receivers are distinguished clearly from each other with information media like conventional broadcasting. Therefore, it becomes possible for everybody to readily distribute various pieces of information in various forms. Since digitalized information has a feature of easy copying, it is distributed through a number of users who copy and redistribute the information, whereby the information distribution range and speed will be accelerated.
In such a situation, once information is passed from one person to the hands of another person, who will get the information and how the information will be used are unknown. Demands are made for knowing whether or not the once distributed information has been passed to the person as intended by the information distributor, what point on the distribution route the information has been distributed to, what route the information has been distributed via, etc. Further, in recent years, programs into which computer viruses are mixed, information containing a violation of privacy is received, and the like have often been illegally distributed unconsciously. A demand is also made for determining the originator (issuer) of the information and locating the distribution route of the information when such illegal information is distributed. However, such demands are not fully satisfied and only some demands are met.
For example, in an electronic mail communication network described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 4-268849, at the node which receives electronic mail, information concerning the sender name and passed-through nodes added to the received electronic mail can be compared with information concerning the network configuration held in the node to see if the electronic mail sender name is false. In transfer of electronic mail, the sender prepares transmission and reception logs together with information to be sent to the receiver and transfers both as a unit to the receiver.
However, in the electronic mail communication network, the route of the passed-through nodes when information is transmitted from user A to user B is only recorded. When the information is transmitted from user B to user C, information on user A is not left and cannot be used for tracing across users. The electronic mail communication network depends on a specific mechanism of electronic mail. Thus, for example, if information is simply copied from a storage of one person to a storage of another person, the route of distribution (in this case, copy) of the information is not recorded and the distribution route of the information cannot be known later. Further, the sender cannot trace the information route to know what point his or her transmitted information arrives at now.
In an office information processing system described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 5-63728, control information indicating what processing can be performed after reception is added to electronic mail and history information on operation performed on received mail is stored. By referencing the history information, the sender can know whether or not transmitted electronic mail has been processed, for example. However, in the system, what route the information has been distributed through cannot be known from received electronic mail although the original sender of the received electronic mail can be known. The electronic mail sender knows the distribution route of electronic mail distributed over his or her preset distribution route, but cannot grasp any other route. For example, if a person receiving electronic mail distributes the electronic mail to somebody, who in turn distributes it to somebody, and so forth,the electronic mail sender cannot grasp the whole image of the information distribution destinations. Further, like the above-mentioned electronic mail system, the office information processing system does not consider any distribution route other than the electronic mail system. Thus, in the office information processing system, the distribution route of received information cannot be known.
Further, in an electronic document preparation/approval system with an electronic authorization function described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei 2-297288, authorization data created by a authorization process at approval is registered in a authorization logging file, thereby enabling tracing a document approval state. Since the electronic document preparation/approval system is a system which enables the approval requester to know the current approval state, even if a document is distributed to a person who is not involved in an approval process, the fact cannot be known. As with the electronic mail communication network, if information not related to approval is simply copied from a storage of one person to a storage of another person, the route of distribution (in this case, copy) of the information is not recorded and the distribution route of the information cannot be known later.
As we have discussed, when various types of information are distributed by various methods through the hands of various persons without using a special system such as the electronic mail or approval system, the distribution routes of once distributed information cannot be traced. When illegal information is distributed, the originator (issuer) and distribution route of the information cannot be located either.
In the situation in which once information is passed from one person to the hands of another person, who will get the information and how the information will be used are unknown, if the person who distributes information wants to come in contact with persons getting the information, he or she cannot make contact with them. For example, if a person finds bugs in his or her created and distributed freeware product, he or she cannot make contact because there is a high possibility that the once distributed product may be furthermore distributed secondarily and tertiarily and it is impossible to find out who own the product. If a patch for correcting the bugs is created, it cannot be distributed all persons involved.
As another example, if a person wants to know comments, thoughts, etc., from persons reading one distributed document, he or she cannot well make contact with the document readers. Further, when a person finds a software product containing computer viruses, if he or she wants to make contact with persons who use or have the software product at present, he or she cannot make contact because he or she does not know who owns the software product.
To overcome such problems, in a conventional method, when a created software product or document is distributed, distribution destinations are previously limited and are managed by manual work. Then, when software bugs or document errors are found, the original distributor may make contact with the limited range of the destinations. In this method, however, if one person receiving the software product or document distributes it to another person, the original distributor cannot grasp the distribution and cannot make contact with all persons involved. Such a tendency is pronounced in freeware software often unlimited in distribution destinations and it is becoming extremely difficult for the original distributor to manage the distribution destinations.
As another method, in commercial software, etc., after a software product is sold, the purchasers of the software product are requested to enter user registration and the software house makes later contact with the users entering user registration. However, this method is not compulsory for the purchasers; not all the purchasers enter user registration and the software house cannot grasp-all the purchasers.
As another method, public relations means may also be taken for persons in a far wider possible range containing the information distribution range. For example, media such as radio and TV broadcasts and newspaper advertisements are used for the purpose; they are at very high costs and the persons involved do not necessarily get the information. Further, the information is only garbage for a large number of persons not related to the information. However, such a method is only a method available for informing computer viruses, etc., and it is also difficult to suppress the widening range of damage.
Thus, when various types of information are distributed by various methods through the hands of various persons, it is not possible to make contact with the persons getting once distributed information or distribute another piece of information to the persons.